SAY IT WITH A SONG: CUSTOM SONGS

If you want the "Best Gift Ever!" for someone special in your life (or for yourself - you're special too), just "Say it With a Song!" Dave will write a custom song for any occasion. There are many options for collaboration with Dave, a video to go with the song, live performance of the song at an event, etc..., so email dave@davenach.com to find out more.

EXAMPLES

"David, I couldn’t wait to play the wonderful song you wrote “Hey What’s Your Name” for my dear Amy on our special day. I had her close her eyes and then gave her the song. And listening, she was both laughing and crying at the same time. Yes, we did achieve the desired effect! Those lyrics you came up with rhyming “quota” and “North Dakota” were brilliant. From little bits of background I gave, you were spot on. Thanks for your writing & musicianship. You made our anniversary!" - Andy Preston

In 2012, friends of William Buckley Briggs contacted Dave to ask him if he'd write a song to honor him. Here's what one of the friends, Christian, had to say: "I know Buck and Bob have called but I also wanted to let you know that Saturday (the unveiling of the song to Buck) was tremendous. The look on Buck's face was one of pure astonishment and he was just speechless (which is rare). He didn't even know you could do such a thing as make a custom song. So that alone was a shocker. But he just keep telling us how humbling and amazing it was. You definitely captured the essence of our friend and his historic house and made for one great memory that we can continue to re-live every time we play the song."

"Mission Maybe"

"To say the song was a “huge success” is an understatement. I was totally blown away, not only by the sentiment of Larry doing this, but also by the quality of the song. I loved the interplay of the instruments and the catchy tune and, of course, your singing voice which I have always admired. My friends were also totally in awe. I did wonder if you thought we were nuts with our silly screen names and words and expressions that you very cleverly wove into the song. I have listened to it at least 20 times, and haven’t actually made it through yet without both giggling at some of the words and a tear in my eye or lump in my throat at the end. This was by far the best gift I have ever received, and I will treasure it forever. Thanks again for helping make this milestone birthday of mine incredibly special." - Sue

"Here On This Path"

An example of how Dave Nachmanoff's custom songs can be a collaboration (a poem written by Bob, modified just a bit and set to music). From Bob, to Heidi. Bob says: "She was literally crying tears of joy once she realized what it was. Bringing her joy with the song was exactly what I set out to do. So it could not have been a greater success. We both love it! Thank you again for creating a beautiful piece of music."

"I Keep You Guessing"

This song was written with a friend in eastern Canada, Dan W. Dan and his wife have several cats, and for her birthday, Dan thought it would be fun to write her a song about the cats. It turned into a song from the point of view of one of their cats.

Since he plays guitar, Dan sent some chord changes he’d recorded and a draft lyric. I wrote a melody and added a chorus section, then we used “SKYPE” to rewrite the verses and create a final version of the song. Somehow the production wound up being kind of retro 80s! Here’s what Dan had to say about the experience:

“Donna loves your work so I can't overstate how surprised and thrilled she was to get a custom song for her birthday. I had a blast working with you to take a concept all the way to a final product. Using Skype really made the creative process feel collaborative - there is no amount of emailing that can replace a conversation. Thank you for your attention to detail and commitment to make sure that I was completely satisfied with the final recording. For all the cat lovers, remember that dogs have owners, cats have staff!”

Check out a special appearance by Mr. Panks at the end of the song.

"Let's Race"

"Dave took my words and crafted them into a wonderful song about my grandkids. Fantastic music that exceeded my expectations. We love it! The final song was 5 minutes long and fully produced -very impressive. Working with Dave was a blast." - John Fesler, Myrtle Beach, SC

"Dave Nachmanoff did a custom song for me, "Ghosts Of Winter", and I shall not challenge his customs decision. Ain't no reason for that. I did pay the price, but I will not count the cost. A phrase which - by the way - is as candid as it was borrowed from "Rush". I had the vague conception of a seasonal wraith appearance, but what he raised is nuffin' but the whole menagerie of midwinter animi. Artic Circle at the least. Cast in music. He simply nailed it.

So one may not exactly be pushing too hard to claim that Ph.D. Dave is the real "Man For All Seasons", though other leading contemporary philosopher, Alastair Ian Stewart, might have had someone else in mind. Having promulgated his treaty. Anno Domini MCMLXXVIII. But this is 2014 and I'm on the verge of handing down another set of lyrics to Dave, for I have catched the scent of custom songwriting and now I want more. In 2030 we'll have a full album, I suppose... Thank you, Mr. Nachmanoff, and long may you ramble!!!"

"Mother Marcena"

"Truly, if you have someone in your life for whom you need an extraordinary gift, this is the thing to do. Dave will write the whole song, or will collaborate with you, or will take your lyrics and put them to music, or take your music and add lyrics -- whatever you need to honor that special person. I met Dave when I hired him to write a song for my mother. The bi-coastal effort between him and me (and my eight siblings) resulted in a beautiful tribute to an amazing woman -- a tribute that will be in our family for generations to come. Mom's great-great grandchildren, and THEIR children, will know her through this song. The song was a labor of love and an enormous blessing. Seriously, do this." - Liz Bligan